All 10 Old Microsoft Windows Games from the '90s, Ranked

It’s safe to say most of us grew up using a computer that ran some version of Microsoft’s classic home PC software, and because you probably weren’t a child accountant, you likely spent your time playing the games that came with Windows. Microsoft was very cool about including different types of games for all types of players. There were puzzle games, pinball, and even classic card games for those of us who enjoyed an old school sensibility with the added class of not having to touch a filthy stack of cards. But which were the best Microsoft Windows games? You’re going to help answer that question in this ranking of all the old Microsoft games.

Maybe this is rose-tinted hindsight speaking, but there was something pure about '90s Microsoft games. They all had a simple conceit, but never lost their luster. If you don’t think that’s true, think back to the countless games of solitaire you played and try to convince anyone you didn’t love it. Could you have been outside chasing butterflies? Probably, but then you never would have seen the fireworks that go off when you beat a game of FreeCell in less than ten minutes. Now that was living.

Vote on your favorite old Microsoft Windows games and if you were too cool for mahjong get real in the comments and tell us what you liked to play.

It was a revelation when computer users discovered they never had to go to an arcade again to play pinball. On one hand, the tactile nature of playing on big machines is unbeatable, but free games forever? YES PLEASE!

Do you remember how frustrating it was when you saw people solve Minesweeper in one move? Most of us were never able to capture that magic, but it must've been very, very satisfying. Muy satisfecho, as they say en Español.

If you were born any time after 1985, you can probably count the number of times you've played solitaire IRL on one hand. Who knew Microsoft struck anti-boredom gold when they included this classic rainy day game on all of their computers?

For a lot of millennials Chip's Challenge was the first puzzle game you played, and it was the perfect primer to prepare your inner nerd for a lifetime of fawning over Legend of Zelda. Raise your hand if you still see that warp door in your dreams.